HISTORY OF THE LITTLE THEATRE 
OF WINSTON-SALEM

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem had its beginning at a meeting on October 3, 1935, at Salem Academy with Dorothy Knox presiding.  She stated a “need of organized dramatics for Winston-Salem with the aim of building a permanent organization to present the best in Dramatic Art for the citizenry.”  Some sixty people then began meeting monthly and presenting two or three one-act plays.  Dues were one dollar annually.

Over the years, as the theatre group grew, a number of facilities including the West End School building, the Reynolds auditorium, and the second floor over the Moxley Piano Company were used for performances.  The theatre’s offices, rehearsal, shop and costume spaces were likewise housed in a variety of locations, including Doris Pardington’s living room, the Trotman house on Fifth Street, and a drafty barn on Robinhood Road.

The State of North Carolina issued a certification of Incorporation to The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, Inc. in June of 1950, and in 1953, Doris Pardington, a charter member, became the first paid director.  In 1957, The Little Theatre, along with other Arts Council performing groups, moved into its present location on Coliseum Drive, where accommodations rival those of many professional theatre groups.

The statement of purpose in the Bylaws of The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, Inc. is clear:  “The mission of this non-profit corporation shall be to provide for all within the community an avenue for education and development in all aspects of theatrical arts, and to provide entertainment for the community by offering a series of well-staged performances of live theatre.”

The Little Theatre’s efforts to provide training and education took a significant step forward in 1969 when it began acting classes for 25 students in grades 9-12.  Classes were staffed by volunteers.  A training program for Teachers in Creative Dramatics was initiated the same year and the volunteers worked with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools.  Later, an expert in “Drama as Education” was employed to train Little Theatre creative dramatics teachers, enabling them to relate drama to school curriculum.  The cooperative relationship that developed between the schools and The Little Theatre education program gained national recognition.  Currently, The Little Theatre offers education programs for K-12 and adults.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Currently, The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem performs six main stage shows in a season.  Generally, four of these are straight plays (non-musicals) and two are musicals.  Approximately 2500-3000 people see each straight play and 5000-6000 see each musical.  We do nine performances (counting our preview show) of a non-musical and thirteen performances of a musical.  A typical musical has 30-40 volunteer cast members plus an orchestra, and a straight show has a cast of anywhere from 2 to 25 actors.

The Little Theatre has volunteers involved in all aspects of a theatrical production, from the set and costume construction crews to the backstage or “running” crews to the “front of house” crew (those who sell tickets, usher, and man the concession stands), to those who put up posters all over town.  A typical Little Theatre production will involve anywhere from 200-400 volunteers lending talent, energy and countless hours.

The Little Theatre is constantly in production.  As soon as one show is “struck,” another is auditioned, cast and into rehearsal.  In some instances, auditions for the next show will take place before the previous one has even closed.  Little Theatre volunteers, particularly actors and stage managers, make a three-month time commitment for a musical and a two-month commitment for a straight play.  There may be as many as six rehearsals a week, normally lasting from 7-11 p.m. each night.  It’s almost like having a second job, but our volunteers come back again and again because the process of making theatre is in their blood.  It’s truly an experience like no other.